Isle of Wight is finalist for distribution center

Prospect's decision expected within weeks

ISLE OF WIGHT – Isle of Wight County is one of two final contenders vying to land a $40 million distribution center, said county economic development director Lisa Perry.

A pharmaceutical supply company has whittled its search down to two potential sites: one in the Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park, outside Windsor, and the other in North Carolina's Piedmont region, said Perry.

She declined to identify the company, but said she expects a final decision to be handed down within weeks.

The company has proposed building a 600,000-square-foot facility, with room to expand up to 1 million square feet, and would create about 200 new jobs, according to Perry. She said the company has indicated it wants to move forward by Sept. 1.

The project would be a coup for Isle of Wight County's new intermodal park, which now has facilities owned by Safco Products Co. and Cost Plus World Market. The company was a finalist for a tire import distribution center, a project ultimately lost to Charleston, S.C., last October.

"It's exciting to be a finalist again … but we want to win this time," Perry said. "We're tired of being the bridesmaid."

The Board of Supervisors has touted the intermodal park as a lynchpin in Isle of Wight's future economic development. County leaders have said it is even more critical now with the projected revenue loss from International Paper's closure.

In January, the supervisors unanimously backed Perry's proposal to launch a nationwide search for a private developer to buy and develop about 1,000 acres in the park's third phase. County leaders are still mulling her recommendation that the county invest about $4 million on infrastructure before it begins wooing developers.